Chapter Two

To Feel Important

Kazumasa waited patiently at the front door.

The Muteki household got to be pretty predictable when you served them for as long as he had. He knew that Toshi Muteki would walk through those door between 9:00 and 9:30 at night. If the meeting had gone sour, most likely 10:00.

But when Toshi called him, it seemed he was in high spirits.

So he waited.

Patiently.

Eventually, the he heard the car pull into the driveway, and he opened the door for his employer, "Good Evening Mr. Muteki."

"Kazumasa!" Toshi warmly smiled, entering and allowing the butler to take his coat, "Is Tasai in bed? He has a big day tomorrow."

"Paul set the young master to sleep half an hour ago," Kazumasa informed, "How was the meeting?"

Toshi lit up with a smile, "It could NOT have gone better. We have signed a deal with a popular support gear hero, and are increasing our number of sales by 13%. With any luck, Void Industries will eventually be swept away by our products. Dr. Von-Taven believes we are getting closer to a revolutionary breakthrough. But he always thinks that, the mad doctor he is."

Kazumasa nodded.

Doctor Edgar Von-Taven. An Austrian/English scientist and medical professional. He specified in Genetic Splicing and deconstructing quirks. The man was alright, but Kazumasa always thought he was a little...nuts.

"Who is this hero? Is he receiving substantial compensation?"

"He is a she," Toshi became to undo his tie and walk up the grand staircase, "As in payment, she had but one request. And her request was rather strange. Rather then funds of money, she requested a fully funded workshop and floor dedicated to her gear. She was rather eccentric about it, but anything is cheaper then money, huh?"

Kazumasa nodded, and Toshi made it to his room in front of the fireplace with his favorite pipe, "I have to go back in tomorrow to discuss company distribution. A investor is thinking of buying some shares. Like I said, Tasai will be coming along as well, have him explore the company again."

Kazumasa sighed, "Sir...I would never do anything without your approval. You would never do as I order. A servant is not equal to the master."

Toshi raised a brow, while Kazumasa lit the fireplace, "If you've come to ask me for something, I'm sure there is no request to big...you've served my family welll Kazu."

"I would like you to take Katsu tomorrow as well."

Toshi raised a brow, and sighed, "No...he'll cause more trouble. He's suspended from school, he's not being taken on a field trip to the company. He hasn't even proven worthy of running it. Granted, neither has Tasai, but Tasai shows the willingness to learn. Katsu does not."

"Because you've never taught him," Kazumasa replied, stoking the fire literally and figuratively as he pressed on with his tongue and the firepoker, "It's hard to teach a neglected dog a trick. First it'll just want the attention, then he'll try to learn and please his owner."

The metaphor of neglect blew past Toshi, and sighed, "He has never shown interest in ANY part of the company."

"Because he does not find himself WORTHY of it. He just wants to impress you sir."

Toshi seemingly found merit in those words, but like always, his thoughts branched to his eldest son, "How do you expect him to take it? Katsu hates his brother, the last thing he'd want is to tag-a-long with Tasai."

"Then diffuse the situation, diffuse him," Kazumasa reasoned, "Take only Katsu. Tasai can go without a day by your side, and Katsu is clearly striving for your attention."

"By picking fights and starting arguments?" Toshi raised his tone, and for a minute, Kazumasa believed he had went too far.

But Kazumasa had faced the worst of odds, the tone of his employer not one of them, "Sir...yes. He wants to be noticed by you, to feel important. Tasai knows he's important to you, but Katsu does not yet."

This seemed to take an effect of Toshi, has he rubbed his nose, "Well...I suppose I can take Katsu along. But Tasai must be properly attended too if he is to stay at the house."

"Huh dad?"

The subject of conversation, entered the room, rubbing his eyes.

Toshi went wide eyes while Kazumasa sighed aggressively. Toshi turned to Tasai and huffed, "I thought Paul put you to sleep?"

"I'm twelve, I can sleep when I want. He just takes me to my room and trusts that I go to sleep," Tasai grinned at his deceitfulness, and then smiled, "I heard I'm staying at the house? I thought I was going with you tomorrow?"

Kazumasa set the firepoker down as Toshi sighed, "You were. But I was thinking maybe you would like a day to relax, while I take Katsu instead. He's never been to the tower. It would be...an learning experience for him."

"Why are you taking him?" Tasai seemed offended, "I thought he was in trouble?"

Kazumasa let Toshi explain the situation while he went to check up on Katsu, crossing the halls and heading upstairs.

After traversing quite a bit, he made it to his door, and knocked softly, "Katsu? Hide the plate of food, it's me."

After some noises of clothes and shuffling, Katsu opened the door, brown hair messy and unkept, and mouth filthy with pork juice, "What is it?"

"I have good news," Kazumasa warmly grinned, "May I come in?"

"Uh...sure?" Katsu nodded, shrugging as to why he needed to ask.

His room was no master bedroom, but it was large. A queen sized bed in the corner, a large flat screen TV on the wall opposite of the bed, and a desk at the foot of the bed.

"So...what's the good news?" Katsu asked.

"You are going with your father tomorrow to the Company Tower."

Katsu raised a brow, and scoffed, "What? The LAST thing I want is to be exploring the tower with Tasai."

"I figured, which is why he isn't coming," Kazumasa smirked, "Problem solved."

Katsu immediately gasped, "WHAT?! He's NOT COMING? Is he in trouble?!"

Kazumasa sighed, "No...your father just thinks it's time he spent some time with you...just you."

Katsu looked at his butler strangely.

"What? He...does?"

Kazumasa nodded.

Katsu...looked at the ground in shock.

"Really?"

"Yes, Kat."

Katsu was still wide eyed.

"REALLY?!"

Kazumasa sighed and smirked softly, "You're not dreaming Katsu."

"THEN I AM HAPPY AS CAN BE!" Katsu bounced across his room.

The Humble Butler watched Katsu leap from side to side from his room, with the energy to go on for hours.

"Katsu?"

"Yes?!" Katsu asked out of breath.

"Bedtime. You have a busy day tomorrow."

Deep in a lab, a man with a trench coat stood hard at work, using a system of VR to finish a DNA sequence.

This man was Oxford Graduate, Doctor Edgar Von-Taven. Austrian, Quirkless, and INSANELY smart, he had everything he ever needed.

His phone began to ring, and he took the headset off (making sure to save his progress) and grabbed his phone.

Toshi Muteki.

His Boss.

Edgar sighed and began practicing his Japanese before accepting the call.

"Good Evening Mr. Muteki."

"What? Edgar it's four in the morning!"

Edgar looked at the clock on his wall and groaned, "Shit...I did it again. Sorry boss, was up late last night."

"Might I ask why this time? Oh don't tell me. Your little project..."

"I'm close sir! REALLY close to cracking it!"

There was an audible sigh on the other side of the call.

"Edgar, we've talked about this. It's a lost cause. Impossible."

"Not for much longer!" The doctor almost shouted.

"Look, I didn't call you to discuss your projects. I hope they don't interfere with your tasks and quotas."

Edgar laughed, "You know me sir. They never do."

"My son is stopping by the tower later. I figured you wouldn't mind watching over him for a couple moments. I hope that's not too much of a bother to ask?"

The Doctor nodded, "Oh yeah, me and Tasai get along just fine."

"No...my other son. Katsu Muteki."

Edgar tilted his head, "Oh? I wasn't aware you had another son. Tasai is all you talk about."

"He's the eldest, and quite talented. Katsu is the trouble maker. Some time at the tower might incite him to do better in school."

"I've never met Katsu," Edgar admitted, "I'll look after him sir."

"Good. He's a late bloomer, and you are quirkless, so I assumed you two would get along just fine. I hope that's not offensive?"

"No no no," Edgar rubbed his eyes, "No, I get that all the time. Don't worry. We'll get along just fine.

"Well...don't expect an angel."

And with that Toshi hung up.

Edgar had to retake his Japanese course JUST to be sure that was EXACTLY what Toshi said. His son a demon? No...he couldn't have meant that.

Right?

"THIS TOWER IS HUGE!" Katsu squealed as he stepped out of the limousine with his father, "I could go up twenty floors and not even see HALF of it's wonders!"

Toshi chuckled lightly, "Yes we spared NO expense."

The Tower was in everyway a modern and high tech tower, screens at the top broadcasting the news, while fountains and koi ponds surrounded the entire tower like a moat would a castle.

Toshi walked straight in, the security checkpoints letting him and his son through at ease.

Katsu was on a swivel, turning and seeing screens displaying all sorts of inventions, interviews, and general tips for how to handle their products, "This is amazing! Do you build the stuff here?"

"Yes, on the twentieth floor, we have a huge warehouse full of parts and engines...and on the next ten, we have factory lines, patent rooms, and workshops for the more...traditional inventors."

Katsu nodded in awe, as they travelled across a modern bridge over a greenish blue pond, with two trees on the opposite sides. The bridge lead to an elevator, and Toshi used it sparingly.

"So where are we going first?" Katsu asked, "The factory? The workshops? The testing rooms?"

Toshi sighed, "No, I'm afraid that will have to be later. I have a meeting with some shareholders on the company's future. You'll be under the watch of my colleague for the entire duration."

Katsu was disheartened by the fact of not getting to spend time immediately with his father, but he understood. He was a busy man.

"Um...okay...That's alright! So...where is he?"

Toshi sighed, "19th floor please."

The elevator lurched to life, moving up fast and powerful.

In a manner of seconds, they were there, in a long array of neat hallways with labs and chemical rooms. After a left turn down a crossing hallway, they made it to an mahogany door, the wood standing out against the metal, futuristic doors.

"Dr. Von-Taven!" Toshi knocked loudly.

The door opened up inward, and a tall, skinny, and dirty blonde man with glasses opened the door and looked at his boss and son, "Ah...Herr Muteki!"

He held his arm out for Katsu to shake.

Katsu looked at the hand and slowly grabbed it, only for The doctor to shake it rather roughly.

"I have a meeting to attend," Toshi straightened his tie, "Once again, thank you Dr. Von-Taven. I'll be back for him at the end of the day."

Katsu instantly whipped his head around, "Wait a sec, I thought you said after the meeting?"

Toshi widened his eyes and nodded, "Yes I did. Apologies..."

He turned and walked away, without another word.

Katsu stared at the ground, fully disappointed in himself. What did he do this time?

"Ah, chin up Herr Katsu," Edgar patted Katsu on the back warmly, "I'm sure he'll be back soon...now would you like to take a look around the lab?"

Katsu nodded slowly, entering the lab and looking around.

Beakers of chemicals, blueprints of the human body parts, and screens of DNA strands on every counter.

"So...what is it you do?" Katsu asked, looking at the blueprints of female anatomy.

Edgar swiped them from his gaze rather quickly and stuffed them in a binder, "I detail the human bodies of quirk carrying humans, and contrast them between quirkless humans."

Katsu nodded, hands in his pockets, "So...like the toe joint in people with quirks?"

"Yes, exactly, but there are WAY more differences," Edgar explained, grabbing some MRI scans and autopsy reports after he stuffed the binder of female anatomy in the shelf, "Look at this picture. As you can see, quirkless hearts pump blood in a more softer way, when the heart of people with mutation quirks pumps a little harder and rougher, in order to help reach the extra limbs, organs, etc."

"Cool," Katsu started to get interested, "Why?"

Edgar grinned widely in a joyful way.

"Because. One day, I intend to crack the TRUE difference between quirkless and the quirked. My theory is that the DNA strands on quirked people have more nucleobases then the average quirkless, showing the amount of genetic coding and uniqueness in each cell. If one can crack the secret, and be able to produce ARTIFICAL quirks on a much larger scale, like prescription drugs help the impaired, we can cure the quirkless!"

Katsu's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"Can...can you do that?"

"One day, we will be," Edgar nodded, "One day. But I am still in the developing stages. All the formulas are either too weak and degrade too quickly to take effect, or too strong and are just an average steroid."

"When that day comes...could I try it?" Katsu asked.

Edgar shook his head, "No...I will. I'm the inventor of it. If it fails, I will be the victim. I'm not going to risk someone's life on a formula that has not been perfected."

Katsu nodded, "Okay...it's just I'm-"

"Quirkless?" Edgar asked.

"NO!" Katsu argued, "I'm a late bloomer!"

Edgar held his hands up in defense, "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to insult you."

Katsu shrugged, "I can still be a hero."

"Is that your dream?" Edgar asked, leaning back on the counter, "Being a hero?"

Katsu nodded,

"I'm going to attend U.A, get my license, and be the number one hero, Like Deku."

"Like Deku huh? Those are high hopes, Herr Katsu," Edgar sighed, "The problem with high hopes is that they sometimes are too high."

Katsu nodded but smirked all the same, "Even so, the universe is infinite, so if you shoot for the stars...eventually you'll hit one."

"Eventually," Edgar nodded, "That's why I work on these projects. Your father doesn't see the wisdom and use of such a formula. If we can...in better terms, cure the quirkless, the possibilities are endless? Can we be able to create our OWN quirks? Be able to replicate the quirks of Ground Zero and Uravity? Like-"

"Like All For One?" Katsu asked, "Wasn't that his idea? To be able to steal quirks and mold them into his own?"

Edgar nodded, and began to rub his glasses, sighing, "I will not lie to you boy. I WAS inspired by the villain, despite his diabolical plots. But why use crime and evil to change the world, when all it takes is a college degree and hard work?"

"So...you're his disciple?" Katsu asked.

Edgar shook his head, "No...an observer. Many villains had great motives, and if only they used their brains, they could have done more then parade in costumes and use swords. No, Stain, Dabi, Shigaraki, all these villains, ALL THAT INETELIGENCE...and they wasted it on petty crimes and sinister plots."

Edgar sighed again, "It saddens me. That humanity still reverts to it's basic instincts even when we have evolved to the point of being supreme. We are still prone to evil...it makes me lose hope. THAT is why I work for your father. Because I refuse to let my intelligence be WASTED on the pettiness of heroics. I seek to change the world. To save it in ways a hero just can't do."

Katsu shrugged, "You...lost me doctor."

Edgar sat down on a stool, "To dumb it down, if one man...a QUIRKLESS man can change the world without being a hero...then the world may be on the track of a brighter path."

"This path is dark, make sure to fix the lights soon," Toshi straightened his tie, ordering his secretary as he pushed the doors open into his office.

The office was spacious, and shelves of books lined the walls. The floor was glass, with an aquarium underneath, filled with Koi fish and some gentle sharks...

Well...as gentle as they can get.

Toshi sat in the desk in the middle, and turned to look out the windowed wall.

From the top floor, Toshi could see all across the country side, and the other side of the bustling city of Hosu.

After the incident years ago, Toshi had been the leading benefactor in Hosu's rebuild. The Nomu attack was crippling, but Muteki Technologies was able to rebuild and renovate the city.

He swiveled the chair back to the desk, and when he pressed the flat top, a screen was projected above it, and the desk lit up with touch screen keyboards and buttons.

Toshi began to type away.

He checked his work email, his stocks, and-

His desk popped up with an incoming voice call from his assistant outside.

Toshi sighed, and rubbed his eyes. Could he get NOTHING done?!

"Mr. Muteki?" A female assistant asked.

"Yes?" He responded.

"The CEO of Void Industries is waiting in the meeting room with the rest of the shareholders."

Toshi instantly was angry.

"How long has she been here?"

"Two Hours, she has been trying to-"

"I KNOW WHAT THAT BITCH DOES!" Toshi roared in anger, ending the call and storming out of his office.

He flung the door opened as the assistant hid under her desk. He entered the elevator and roared.

"SHAREHOLDERS OFFICE!"

Two seconds later, he was on the 42nd floor, storming past janitors and muffin men.

He kicked the glass door opened.

"YOU!"

The Table was surrounded by several old men, and a young woman.

And at the end of the table, was a tall, slender, brunette, youthful in her appearance, and currently smirking.

"Hello Mr. Muteki."

"Edith Void I should have known, I could smell your hideous perfume the moment I stepped out of the limousine," Toshi snarled, taking a seat at HIS table.

Edith smirked back, "Are sure that's not the exhaust from the helicopter? Oh by the way, I parked my helicopter on your helipad. Hope you don't mind."

Toshi made a note to order the valet to fly the helicopter into the sea.

"Why are you here? Uninvited, Unwanted, I-"

"I invited myself," Edith grinned, "I have a business proposition."

Toshi seemingly faltered, "What?!"

Edith looked at the shareholders, "I was just negotiating the terms of purchase."

"Purchase of what?" Toshi asked.

Edith Void grinned.

"Purchase of the company stocks. ALL of them."

"Three. Two. One."

BOOM!

"AWESOME!" Katsu shouted in awe.

Edgar nodded, as they watched their devil's toothpaste experiment blow from afar, "Yes, amazing. Come let's tour the next floor."

And that was how Katsu had been spending his time with the Doctor, having fun and watching the machines and inventors do cool stuff.

As they walked in the hallway, Edgar smiled, "I must say you're a pleasant young man. Herr Tasai is rather rude and abrsaive."

"UGH! I KNOW!" Katsu sighed, "He's mean, cruel, and cold. Everyone gives him the excuse that he's SPECIAL!"

Edgar nodded, "Well... he is. He can't think like you and me."

"But he shouldn't be shielded because of it," Katsu argued.

Edgar sighed, "Herr Kat-"

CRASH!

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! MY BABIES!"

Edgar ran into some woman, and the two crashed to the floor, a bunch of contraption breaking on impact.

Katsu ran to Edgar's side, "Are you okay Mr. Von-Taben?"

Edgar laughed as Katsu mispronounced his name, "Yes Katsu, I'm fine."

"BUT MY BABIES ARE NOT!" The woman shouted.

Katsu looked at her.

A tall, mature built woman with pink dreadlocks was hovering over her crushed inventions.

"THIS TOOK ME WEEKS TO BUILD!"

"But it only took a fall to destroy it," Katsu smirked.

Edgar stood up and looked down at the woman who was clutching the pieces.

"I'm sorry," Edgar mumbled.

The woman sighed, her voice still loud and bold, "Huff...well Edison failed several times...I can try again...but I need more parts...this memory core is destroyed..."

Katsu lit up, remembering what his father told him, "There's a warehouse with parts on the tower."

The Woman looked up.

Katsu immediately regretted his desicion.

She stared at him with a psychotic rage and joy that shook him to the core.

"WHERE?!"

Before he could respond, she had grabbed his arm and pulled him away as she ran, while Edgar chased after cursing.

Yes, that's her.

Yes, I know what I am doing.

But don't worry. She's only here for two chapters, like Void. She's just here because she plays an important part in the future.

Enjoy.